This Year's Best Images From The Unseen Microscopic World

The unseen microscopic world is a mighty fine place to look, as well as ripe with scientific intrigue. Nikon has just released the winning images from their 43rd annual Small World Competition, celebrating the weird and wonderful land of the very tiny.

The top prize was handed to Dr Bram van den Broek and his team from the Netherlands Cancer Institute for an image of a skin cell expressing an excessive amount of keratin (image below). Not only does this image look absolutely stunning, it shows off some of the most advanced imaging technology available.

“There are more than 50 different keratin proteins known in humans. The expression patterns of keratin are often abnormal in skin tumor cells, and it is thus widely used as a tumor marker in cancer diagnostics,” said Dr van den Broek. “By studying the ways different proteins like keratin dynamically change within a cell, we can better understand the progression of cancers and other diseases.”

This year, over 2,000 people from 88 different countries entered. A panel of scientists and science-journalists picked the best images based on their scientific and aesthetic value.

Dr Havi Sarfaty snapped up second place for his photo of a flowering head of a plant (image below). Dr Sarfaty is a veterinary ophthalmologist and has been taking photos through a microscope for about eight years. Although his interest in microphotography began with the eye surgeries he performed, he also likes to look at objects he finds in his garden.

Third prize was given to Jean-Marc Babalian for an image (second image below) that depicts a living volvox algae releasing its daughter colonies. In case you missed it, it also looks like the much-loved video game PacMan.

Last month, Nikon also revealed the winning videos for their seventh annual Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition. You can check out those right here. But first, make sure you take a deep look at some of the other winners and notable entries from this year’s photography contest below – they are absolutely mind-blowing.